


The Arcana: Altum Amare (Muriel/Male!Apprentice)

by Kirimizi



Category: Nix Hydra - Fandom, The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Altum Amare, Art Projects, Botany, Deep love, Flower drying, Herbalism, Last Minute Confessions, Love in its purest form, M/M, R18, Romance, late night, male!apprentice, what happens after isn’t so pure tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26925181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirimizi/pseuds/Kirimizi
Summary: There is no such thing as the right moment to say what you feel, but it is how you feel that will drive you.
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana), Muriel (The Arcana)/Reader, Muriel (The Arcana)/You
Kudos: 52





	The Arcana: Altum Amare (Muriel/Male!Apprentice)

The soft breeze of the late night wind took over the forest. The trees swayed against the air coming in from the distant coast. Muriel cautiously led the magician from the forest back to his home. In his other hand, he held a small basket full of flowers for them both to work with once they arrived. The gentle giant opened the front door and gestured for them to enter first, following suit shortly after. 

The magician’s eyes wandered about the cozy home, bewildered by how much larger it was on the inside. The room was tasteful to Muriel’s personality. Reserved, with only a few small glasses laying about on a table, a messily made bed, and two chairs residing on both sides of said table. He peeked around, standing shy as could be by the door before Muriel took notice. After he put down the basket, his hands took the magician’s once more and pulled him towards the chair in front of the fireplace. The magician hesitantly sat down, feeling as though they were bothering Muriel with the tedious task of wrapping up flowers to dry. He set up the fire for the night, as well as a few candles scattered around the room for lighting.

“Are you sure about this?” The magician pressed. “You don’t have to help me if this is too much trouble.”  
“I wouldn’t have brought you to the forest if I didn’t want to help out.” Muriel retorted. 

The magician sighed, still unsure if they were imposing. Muriel sat down beside him, bringing over another basket full of black ribbons and twine to tie up each set of flowers for drying. The two began their project, with Muriel handling the rope and tying each bouquet with an ease the magician had never seen before. The man had some incredible skills when it came to handiwork, Asra had told him a few times before. They sat there in awe of his hands, watching him work his magic. 

Muriel moved with such grace and care. For each stem that came across his hands, he took them one at a time and braided them together, before placing a final tie around the base. The moment he looked up, he caught their intrigued stare, handing them the newly tied up flower bunch. His forest green eyes pulled the magician in like he had never felt before. The beauty of this man was far too much for him to comprehend, especially this late at night. The chain that once sat on his neck long disappeared, leaving the opening on his chest to show off the marks left beneath from years of gladiatorial fights. 

His deep eyes held the magician’s gaze, before blinking and turning back to his work. The usual brooding look on his face disappeared and became concentrated in his work. The magician couldn’t help but smile, wondering when his luck turned to have this man beside him, willingly helping with his shop.

The process developed a pattern, where Muriel would do the preliminary ties on the bouquets and the magician would wrap ribbons around them, leaving the readymade flowers to the side to be dealt with later. After about two hours, the couple finished up the last of what was left in the basket. Muriel went to stand up and stretch out his arms while the magician simply sat back in the chair, eyes closed and taking in the myrrh scented air of the cabin-like home. 

“That was a lot harder than I thought.” They said, earning a cheeky smile from Muriel who then realized they weren’t exactly done just yet.  
“We still need to hang them up to dry..” He responded with a hairband in his mouth, pulling his dark hair up in a loose ponytail. The magician groaned, sliding down in the chair once the truth of the matter hit them.  
“I forgot about that part.” They looked down at Muriel’s hand, outstretched to them. He took the hand, allowing himself to be pulled out of the seat towards Muriel. 

With the two so close to one another, the magician had trouble standing and stumbled into his chest. Muriel kept ahold of their hand, feeling their fingers intertwine with his own. The hut suddenly started to warm up, making the two blush profusely with the heat. 

Muriel instinctively turned away to rummage through the basket and picked up a handful of flowers, staring at their bold color and running his fingers over the delicate red petals. Something about the crimson carnations spoke to him.  
“What do these flowers mean?” He stood in front of the fireplace and paused his handiwork to inspect the bouquet job, admiring the black ribbon wrapped around it with its little bow in the front. Muriel didn’t know too much about flowers, only a finite amount from his days hanging around the shop, but the topic of flora was interesting to him. 

The magician placed down the basket on the table. They looked closely at the petals and thought to themselves for a moment before recalling their knowledge.  
“It is a symbol for deep affection and desire. Wanting something no one else could have except for you. I sell the dried petals primarily for tea,” The magician thought hard if they had any left in the shop. “It makes for a fairly sweet drink. I could brew you some next time you come by the shop.” Muriel nodded to their offer, still holding the flowers in his hands. The magician felt the nervous aura coming off of the mountain man and wondered where his curiosity came from. 

When Muriel gingerly handed the bouquet back to the magician, he could not help but flush immensely. The fire roaring on next to the two of them wasn’t helping his case. He reached out, touching their cheek before taking a deep, unsteady breath.  
“Why are you handing these flowers back to me?” The magician accepted them into his hands, examining to see if something had happened to their tying job.  
“I am in love with you.” Muriel exhaled. His voice was low enough that the magician couldn’t quite hear what he had said, until the phrase finally registered with him. 

“A-Are you sure about that?” They frantically responded, looking around the room, and diverting their attention to the basket next to them. Muriel snickered at the response, forcing the magician to turn back. They couldn’t help themself from getting lost in the forest of his eyes. The look he held was unsure, wondering if he made a mistake by replying the way he did.

But the magician reached out to him in return, feeling the soft skin beneath the gruff exterior. There was no escaping the situation. Especially not when he felt the same way about him. Why else would they constantly find excuses to be in the forest? 

Muriel lost himself in the warmth of their hand. The two drew close to one another, until the gap left between them was closed by the magician himself. With the flowers still in hand, they left a soft kiss on his lips. Muriel froze, unsure how to react to the bold move. He didn’t know what to do next, never thinking this far ahead. 

“Muriel, I’m sorry for having you do all these things for me,” The magician sighed, eyeing the flowers and herbs already drying above the fire. “I didn’t think you would feel the same way.”  
“Why wouldn’t I?” Muriel moved in closer to them, caressing the lovely cheek that leaned into his hand.  
“Because I wasted your time.”  
“I wanted to be there, I always wanted to be there.” He touched his forehead against theirs, tempted to take them into his lips. 

“I love when you’re around, it makes me feel safe.” As they talked, Muriel kissed their cheek, unable to keep himself away from them.  
“You’re strong without me,” Muriel whispered back, wrapping an arm around their waist. He desperately wanted to close the space between them. “I’m not useful to you.” He continued as he tried to muster some kind of self control to pull himself away. 

“You’re a person, I'm not trying to use you. I want you beside me more than anything.” The magician placed the carnations down on the table, breathing hard while they tried to find an excuse to move away from him. Both gave in to temptation, kissing again, and again, before they tangled in each other’s arms. 

Muriel wanted to show how much he loved the magician by giving them his entire being in this moment. But in his hesitation, he couldn’t help but pull away. He walked him towards the bed by the corner and sat him down there. For the moment they were apart, the mountain man kissed their neck, earning a small noise from them. The sweet sound invited him to want more, pushing them down onto the bed and hovering over them before stopping himself again.

“Th-This isn’t right..” Muriel breathed heavily, unsure what came over him. But the magician felt the same way, taken over by the mutual affections.  
“Muriel,” The alluring sound of their voice pulled him back. His arms laid behind his head, no longer at a loss for words. “I love you, too.” They said.

Muriel turned back to them, eyes widening, and happily tackled them onto the bed without a second thought. The magician never dreamed of having their feelings returned, especially not after having asked for Muriel’s help all week. But the burden on their mind was no longer there and for that, they couldn’t have been happier. 

The weight on his chest lifted, and Muriel turned to face him with a lighthearted expression on his face. He felt two arms wrap around his neck, pulling him towards the magician. Their lips met again, letting the sweet feelings stir between them. Muriel felt their hands slide up to his face, touching his warmth-ridden cheeks with absolute need. 

The magician ran his fingers through his hair, tugging playfully at the beautiful dark strands that hung loose from his ponytail. His lips taunted the mountain man, leaving him wanting more. Muriel glided his hand down his lower back and pulled him closer, before feeling a hand on his chest. The magician gently yanked down the shirt, exposing more for him to gawk over. 

The scars that covered his dear mountain man all over took him aback, but gave him incentive to take a bit more control. He left Muriel for a moment to lay him down, beginning to leave astray kisses down his chest, taking off the rest of his shirt in the process. Muriel gasped, biting his lip harder with every kiss left on him. 

“Why are you doing this to me?” Muriel surly asked, high off the feeling. The magician paused, unsure how to answer.  
“Because I can’t help myself. Do you want me to stop?” They asked. Muriel placed them back on the bed, undoing the magician’s shirt and taking them into his arms.  
“If it’s you, I don’t think I mind it.” Muriel smiled, wanting nothing more than to share this moment with them. 

The magician took off the rest of his own shirt, bringing to Muriel’s attention all the smooth skin beneath it. He touched and rubbed the soft flesh underneath while he kissed the magician, earning another moan from them as his tongue dove into his mouth. He lapped over his tongue, wanting to take in the sweet taste of their beloved. 

Muriel could feel himself ready to burst out of his pants when his hand barely grazed over the magician’s crotch, feeling him already so hard. He slid them down without a second thought. The magician clumsily attempted the same, partly struggling with taking down Muriel’s pants. He smiled, before he pulled the clothing down for them. 

However, Muriel didn’t want to stop there. He placed a hand to his thigh, rubbing the sensitive area while he left kiss after kiss down his chest. Soon after, Muriel pulled down their underwear and continued to leave the kisses up and down his swollen cock. All he wanted to hear was the sweet, wet moans coming out of the magician’s mouth. Every slight touch from Muriel made him ready to blow. 

A few strokes of his tip made the magician want to take it further, fueling Muriel to keep going. He took as much as he could into his mouth and slowly started to pump, feeling his own underwear tighten up, every moan making him hunger for more. The man couldn’t stop himself, stroking faster and sucking down on him as gently as possible. The magician tugged roughly on his hair, tangling his fingertips into his already messy hair. 

“You don’t need to be so light with me.” The magician whispered, shuddering with pleasure when Muriel took his orders to heart. If he kept at this rate, he would blow into his mouth in no time. He groaned, taking in the feeling of his warm, wet mouth sucking him so smoothly. The heat of the fire next to them made him swelter, feeling the moisture slide along his face. 

The harder Muriel pumped, the closer they came to finishing, already dripping with excitement. The magician tugged at him, urging him to come back up, but he wasn’t ready to stop yet. When he did oblige to the demand, he kept his hand pumping at the same rate as he moved back up. The magician pulled him into a disheveled kiss, crashing his lips against Muriel’s and wrapped his arms around his neck. He yearned to feel every part of him that he could. The desperation in him grew, ready to blow his load into Muriel’s hand. 

The closer the magician came to finishing, the harder it became to bite back the moans to himself. He panted, mumbling Muriel’s name and digging his nails into the back of his neck. He couldn’t help thrusting into the calloused hand that touched him with such care and need all at once. The white hot desire washed over him as he came, yelling out Muriel’s name in a long moment of passion between the two of them. 

They two dropped onto the bed, both sweaty messes that could barely breathe. It didn’t stop Muriel from kissing him with a sense of urgency, a small grunt slipping out at the same time. The magician kissed back with a slow, loving fervor, pulling him closer to their body. The mountain man drew him in for a cuddle, bringing that loving endeavor with him as he pet his head gently. 

“Did I hurt you?” Muriel asked in a small murmur. The magician looked up, unable to comprehend the question at first before seeing the serious expression on his face.  
“Oh goodness, no, not at all,” They nestled into Muriel’s chest, feeling his heart rate finally begin to slow down. “We can handle the rest of the flowers tomorrow, too.” They mumbled, putting today’s responsibility to tomorrow’s list of things to do. Muriel and the magician were on the brink of falling asleep into each other’s arms when he gently pulled the blanket on the edge of the bed over their restless bodies. The two quickly fell asleep, snuggled up to each other with the scent of flowers taking over Muriel’s home.


End file.
